between England and Scotland in time of war. And even at such times they have done more harm than they have received.” A number of the Tyndaller’s houses are set together, so that they may give each other succour in frays, and they join together in any quarrel against a true man, so that for dread of them “almost no man dare follow his goods stolen or spoiled into that country.” The sides in the game are under the different names or leadership of Romans and English, King William’s men, rovers and guardian soldiers, Prince Charlie’s men, King George’s men, &c. These names have probably been given in memory of some local rising, or from some well-known event which stamped itself upon the recollection of the people. It is very curious that in four or five versions a refrain, which may well be a survival of some of the slogans or family “cries” (see “Three Dukes”), should occur instead of the “Roman” and “English” soldiers, &c. These refrains are, “My theerie and my thorie,” “Metherie and metharie,” “Methory I methory,” “Come a theeiry, come a thory,” “Come a theory, oary mathorie,” “Cam a teerie, arrie ma torry,” and the three which apparently are still further degradations of these, “Ye o’ the boatmen,” “Drunk and sober,” “He I over.” That “slogans” or “war cries” were used in this species of tribal war there is little doubt. In the Northumberland and Laurieston versions the name is “Cripple Dick,” these words, now considered as the name of a powerful and feared leader, may also indicate the same origin. The versions with these refrains come from Perthshire (three versions), Authencairn, and Northumberland; Yorkshire has He I over; while the Romans and English, King George’s men, King William’s men, guardian soldiers, rovers, &c., are found in Shropshire, Staffordshire, Gloucester, Kent, Hants, Bath, Berks, Northamptonshire, Sussex, some of which are Border counties to Wales, and others have sea-coasts where at different times invasions have been expected. In Sussex, Miss Chase says the game is said to date from the alarm of Napoleon’s threatened landing on the coast; this is also said in Kent and Hampshire. Miss Burne considers the game in Shropshire to have certainly originated from the old Border warfare. She also considers that the bread and wine, barrels of ale, &c., are indications of attempts made to bribe the beleaguered garrison and their willingness to accept it; but I think it more probably refers to the fact that some food, cattle, and goods were oftentime given to the raiders by the owners of the lands as blackmail, to prevent the carrying off of all their property, and to avoid fighting if possible. It will be noticed that fighting ensues as the result of a sufficient quantity of food and drink being refused. Scott alludes to the practice of blackmail, having to be paid to a Highland leader in _Waverley_, in the raid upon the cattle of the baron of Bradwardine (see chap. xv.). The farms were